The Fighter
by Veronique Roux
Summary: 'She sighed, grabbing his hand. "I'm not the one who might be dead by Saturday morning, James."'  James Potter is dispatched on a highly dangerous mission for the Auror Office, leaving his wife at home. Things might not go as planned. Based on a song by the Fray, established JP/OC


hey guys! so, depending on feedback that I get, this might be a two-shot, and said second chapter would involve a happy ending, but I know that a lot of people don't like to read the sad ones, so I'm not so sure.

This was inspired by and based off of the song 'The Fighter' by The Fray, because The Fray is one of the most awesomest bands out there.

this is a James/OC, and the OC's name is Rosalie Keller, but her maiden name won't come up in the story because she and James are already married in this oneshot. She's six months pregnant with Harry, so yes, this is a definite AU where Lily isn't Harry's mother.

please review! i'll love you forever!

enjoy!

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><p>They'd put it off for weeks.<p>

Though they'd received notice over a month ago, it remained unspoken of. She had tried so, _so _hard to just forget about it, the date of James's departure loomed closer and closer, and the stress was taking it's toll.

On the thirty-first of March, James had been assigned a highly dangerous infiltration mission for the Auror Office. He would be part of a small team made up of three Aurors, but Rose couldn't remember either of the other two's names.

She sighed inwardly. She'd never admit it, but a small part of her knew that she had hoped that forgetting about it would make it all just go away.

Her hopes had been in vain.

The day had come. James was up by 6 am, and though he'd tried to be quiet, Rose was sitting at the table by the time he turned from the coffee-maker. They'd had it for a good while, but the Muggle contraptions, as he referred to them, still gave him some trouble.

He hurriedly controlled his expression; she'd startled him. "Morning!", he greeted her with falls brightness. His smile quickly turns into a grimace.

She smiled sadly, starting to get up to give him a kiss. He hurriedly stopped her, leaning down and pecking her on the lips. "Don't get up, love, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She huffed, crossing her arms, but she didn't have the energy to glare. Not on a day like that. "I'm pregnant, not disabled, James."

He shrugged. "Same difference, eh?"

She chuckled softly, loving that he can always make her smile. "Don't be stupid," she ordered, and he could tell that it carries farther than that moment.

"Want a cuppa?", he offered.

She shook her head. "Nah." She studied the floor, frowning slightly.

He sat next to her, pulling his chair closer. "You alright?"

She laughed unhappily. "You're asking me? Isn't that a tad ridiculous?"

His brows pulled together. "Why?"

She sighed, grabbing his hand. "I'm not the one who might be dead by Saturday morning, James."

"Rosalie..." She raised her eyebrows. He rarely used her full name. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. It's only a month, I'll be back before you know it." He kissed her softly. "Please?" His voice had dropped to a near whisper. "Everything will be fine."

"You don't know tha-"

"Yes, I do. It has to be. For you." His hand dropped to her swelled stomach. "And for him, especially."

She smiles fondly, placing her hands over his own larger one. "We don't know that it's a boy, James."

"Ah, but we also don't know that it's a girl."

Her smile faded as she glanced at the clock. "It's seven."

He groaned, pouring a cup of scorching hot black coffee and downing it just as fast. "I've got to go, sweet."

She squeezed his hand tightly with both of her own. "Please stay."

He found his eyes starting to sting at the desperation etched all over her face. "Don't make this any harder," he responded quietly.

She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "You don't have to go, _please_, James, I can't... I love you. So much."

"I love you, too," he murmured, "I'll miss you."

He gently untangled himself from her, and pressed his lips to hers. "If it means anything, I don't want to go, either," he told her as he pulled away.

"Be safe."

"I swear I will."

"Don't be an idiot. Don't be reckless." Tears started to gather in her eyes. "_Fuck_, I'll miss you."

"I know. _Please _don't cry, I can't...take it." He brushed a thumb beneath her chocolatey brown eyes, biting his lip.

"I'll try. I love you," she whispered. She kissed him fiercely, and was slightly surprised to find that he was shaking slightly.

"I love you, too. I'll be back as soon as I can."

She hugged him one last time, wishing she could just hold on to him forever, but the moment ended, and he walked outside. A quiet _pop_ could be heard as he Disapparated. Rose knotted her fingers together, suddenly feeling empty. But they both knew he'd taken the better half of her with him.

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><p>The days passed slowly, hour after hour of worry and fear. Her job at St. Mungo's hardly seemed as important to her as it used to be.<p>

She got home late in the afternoon, her overseeing Healer having released her early due to her 'lack of focus'.

It depressed her, coming home to an empty house all the time. Sirius, Remus, and two of her other friends had offered to let her stay with them until James returned. She'd politely declined. If James had to be off in Albania, hanging out with Death Eaters, she could sure as hell manage living alone for a little while.

And all the while, she tried to ignore that little voice in the back of her head that scoffed at their use of the word 'until'. _Don't you mean 'if'?_

She sighed deeply, and wished time would move faster.

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><p>She couldn't sleep. She wasn't very hungry, but she ate anyway, for the baby.<p>

James had been gone for two long months, and though she hated to admit it, she knew something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Her husband should have been back within a month, and she was beginning to fear that the baby would be born before he returned. And Rose wasn't sure if she could get through that without him.

A knock sounded on the door. She stood, checking through the peephole, and opened the door to let Sirius in.

She smiled weakly at him, her heart not really in it.

"Hey," he greeted her quietly, "I got everything on the list..."

"Oh," she took the plastic bag from his hand, "You didn't have to do that, Sirius."

He smiled sadly. "Prongs would've wanted me to help you out."

She glared at him, the familiar ache nearly closing her throat. "You say that like he's dead," she said accusingly.

"Of course he's not, Rosie. I just mean while he's...gone," he finished lamely, sounding a bit like he's talking to a small child who's scared for a relative.

She pursed her lips, turning towards the kitchen and beckoning to Sirius for him to follow her. "He's just fine," she murmured, more to herself than him, "He promised..."

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><p>It was the 5th of July when it happened. The baby was due in under a month, and Rosalie was terrified.<p>

James was still gone.

He'd been officially branded a missing person just a few days ago, actually, and Rose had not been taking it well.

It was 8:27 am, on July, 5, 1979. To this day, Rosalie Potter remembers the day perfectly.

A large, tawny owl was scratching and pecking at the window. Puzzled, as most of the people who wish to contact her are close enough to come calling, she let the Ministry owl in.

The envelope was not heavy, but something was most definitely sliding around in it. She used her wand to slit the top, and turned it over to let the letter fall into her hand.

James's wedding ring fell to the floor. A deep sense of foreboding filled her.

She unfolded the paper with shaking hands.

_Dear Mrs. Potter,_

_We at the Ministry would like to extend our deepest condolences-_

The letter fell from her hand.


End file.
